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NOVEMBER 7, 2017  |  VIEW AS WEBPAGE
 
By Design Furniture & Interior Design presents dsmDining —
Bubba's crafty crab cake salad, served over greens tossed with a judicious amount of charred-lemon and buttermilk dressing.

LUNCH OF THE MONTH: BUBBA BUMPS IT UP

By Wini Moranville

I have to admit I wasn’t overly impressed with BubbaSouthern Comforts when it first opened. Certainly, the spot was a beautiful place to hang out—the stylish update of a modern Southern parlor setting brought a welcome respite from the industrial-chic or reclaimed-wood look of many newer venues.

But, candidly, the cuisine struck me as a Machine Shed take on Southern cooking. Don’t get me wrong: I admire the Machine Shed for what they dohearty and sincere farm cooking. Still, I didn’t think such big-food bravura belonged at Bubba; it seemed a disconnect from the handsome and sophisticated decor.

People, that’s changed. Certainly, you can get the big food that continues to play well in our culinary landscape, but everything I’ve tasted across three recent visits brings a kind of refinement that better matches the ambiance. On a recent lunch visit, we utterly adored the shrimp and grits; I’m not sure what the star here was, because the immensely rich and creamy grits and the Cajun-spiced shrimp were equally swoon-worthy. Tender-cooked collard greens—diced delicately with bits of charred squash, bell pepper and onionsbrought added freshness and sparkle to the dish.

We also appreciated the crab cake salad, served over greens tossed with a judicious amount of charred-lemon and buttermilk dressing. Especially notable was, once again, the delicacy of the dish, right down to the detailed and precise dice of the zucchini, squash and bell pepper. So many salads today are made in a ham-handed way—akin to a bucket of lettuce topped with inelegant planks of whatever—created too often (I suspect) by people who don’t eat many salads. This was thoroughly satisfying yet completely refined—a salad for salad lovers.

These days, service has been hit or miss around town, but my three visits to Bubba made me remember what a difference great service makes—how it can truly deepen and enhance the dining experience.

Bubba is at 200 10th St.; 515-257-4744; bubbadsm.com.

Wini Moranville, who writes about cooking, wine and dining for dsm, is on Facebook at All Things Food DSM.

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Fall 2017 Furniture Market Trends
It’s that time of year again…the Highpoint Furniture Market! We’ve got the new trends they’re featuring in advance of the show and we’re excited to share our take on these trends with you. ... Read more »


"What we have on the line is 33,000 young lives," says Superintendent Thomas Ahart. "The stakes are high."

THOMAS AHART: MAKING THE GRADE

Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Thomas Ahart has launched bold initiatives to change everything from student grading and testing to leadership and professional development for teachers and administrators.
A key program constantly monitors student progress, turning classrooms into interactive learning labs. Follow him as the new school year opens in this story from our current issue of dsm magazine.

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Project in Progress: Charming Beaverdale Home Kitchen Remodel
In a neighborhood known for tree-lined streets and distinctive older homes, this simple Craftsman kitchen is ready for a modern refresh. 3D renderings preview a new layout that includes two-tone wood cabinetry, and white subway and mosaic glass tile to make this cozy kitchen shine! ...
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OLSON-LARSEN GALLERIES presents dsmArts —
An intricate conceptual model from the 1960s shows the Drake campus as you've never seen it.

EXHIBIT: UNSEEN WORK OF GREAT ARCHITECTS

Previously unseen work by renowned architects Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Harry Weese and Ben Weese are featured in a new exhibition opening with a reception Thursday, Nov. 9, at Drake University's Anderson Gallery

We enjoyed a preview of the exhibit, which spans a space of roughly 24 by 90 feet and covers decades since the 1960s. Drawings, photos and other documents bring to life the creation of modernist buildings on the Drake campus. Also noteworthy are design concepts for buildings that were never constructed.

At the exhibit's center is a model showing the campus as it was envisioned by Mies van der Rohe's office in the 1960s. The model was discovered recently, buried in a dusty corner of the attic of Sheslow Auditorium.

"We actually didn't know what it was until we got it out of the attic," says Maura Lyons, curator of the exhibition and a professor of art history at Drake. "It's very heavy and our facilities team had to lift it over a structural beam that had been placed it its path at some point during the decades that it was up there."

Lyons says it's interesting to see how people interact in an everyday way with spaces designed by giants of architecture. "Great architecture is defined not only by those elements envisioned by the architects but also by the ways in which people alter those spaces to make them their own," she says. "A building's meaning is shaped by sounds and smells, by behavior that shapes the physical and emotional features of the space—in short, by the humans who inhabit them."

The space inhabited by Anderson Gallery is within the Harmon Fine Arts Center at 1310 25th St. The exhibit, "Mies / Weese at Drake: Where We Live and Work," continues through Dec. 22. For hours and other gallery information, click here. The reception Thursday is from 5 to 7 p.m. with a gallery talk by the curators at 6 p.m.

Other gallery news around town in coming weeks:

• Artisan Gallery 218 in Valley Junction has a series of introductory classes in jewelry-making this month. Details are here. The gallery will introduce an exhibition of new work with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Dec. 8. 

• Moberg Gallery and Polk County Heritage Gallery collaborated for the exhibit "Worth Fighting For," which opens with receptions this weekend at Polk County Heritage Gallery. The exhibit features artwork of military veterans and is featured in this story from the current issue of dsm magazine. Opening receptions are scheduled at 5 p.m. Friday and at noon on Saturday

• Olson-Larsen Galleries in Valley Junction currently features a show of new work by contemporary artists Sharon Booma, Gary Olson and Yun Shin through Nov. 25. It will be followed in December by a showing of small works.


Hal Wilson, right, reviews fabric options with client Aliou Keita of Lincoln Savings Bank.

CUSTOM OPTIONS FOR YOUR HOME & WARDROBE

Whether you want to spiff up your home or your wardrobe, help has arrived. 

Sophie Gillotti represents NEAT Method, a company created to un-clutter and organize your home—for your own comfort or to prepare it for sale. "There is something so calming about stepping into a room or closet or just opening a drawer that is perfectly organized, clean and structured," Gillotti says. "I want to bring our clients a sense of calmness in their home." Learn more at neatmethod.com or call Gillotti at 515-326-0762.

Longtime clothier Hal Wilson III is opening H3 Custom Clothing in West Des Moines, working with clients by appointment in their homes or at his store, which carries men's and women's ready-to-wear in addition to custom tailoring services. Wilson is a 26-year veteran of the clothing industry, the last six years spent at Langel & Woods Clothiers. H3 Custom Clothing is located at 5015 Grand Ridge Drive, Suite 200, in West Des Moines. Contact Wilson at HalWilson3@yahoo.com or 515-865-2588.


SALUTING OUR SAGES OVER 70 TONIGHT

We've reached capacity for this evening's tribute to our Sages Over 70, so admission will not be possible unless you already have your ticket. But we're pleased to present this brief video featuring all six of this year's honorees, each sharing from their wealth of lessons for life. The video was created by the father-and-son team of Duane and Dylan Huey of Good Plan Productions. They captured the spirit and wisdom of this year's honorees: Don Blumenthal, Joyce Chapman, Jim Cownie, Paul Danforth, Jody Reynolds and Stephen W. Roberts. Read more about them in this story in the new issue of dsm.


Our publishing family continues to grow, most recently with the addition of Kristi Edwards.

KRISTI EDWARDS JOINS DSM TEAM 

We're pleased to announce that Kristi Edwards has joined our dsm team as director of sales and marketing. Most recently, she was a vice president for F+W Media, where she managed a multistate staff. Her previous roles include work as an account manager at Meredith Corp. and at The Des Moines Register. She and her husband, Jason, have a son, a daughter and a cute little dog. Other than the dog, the family enjoys bicycling the trails around Greater Des Moines. Kristi says she and Jason also enjoy participating in organized running events "although we're not too fast." The thing people don't expect? "I love to quilt!" Kristi has made seven quilts this year, including some that may become Christmas gifts.



Jonny Lang carries the legacy of legendary blues guitarists into a new generation.

PEERING INTO THE FUTURE...

Amazing Grammy-winning guitarist and blues singer Jonny Lang is booked for a memorable one-night performance March 8 at Hoyt Sherman  Place. Explore the future of other arts and cultural events with a pair of easy-to-use online calendars. We at
dsm magazine and the Business Record maintain this calendar with handy filters so you can see just the types of events you're searching for. Looking for even more categories? Check Catch Des Moines.

 
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